Barry Bonds ran into a ghost from his past last week. Not knowing the particulars, I'm going to imagine that Barry once hit a home run off Russ Springer and Russ somehow took offense to how Barry celebrated his masterpiece of tape measure. (Editor's note: Bonds is 1-for-6 with a home run, hit in May 2001, lifetime against Springer.)

That might be one reason why Russ plunked Bonds with a 92-mph fastball in the back. Another one: You have to pitch inside to a hitter like Bonds. That is the politically correct answer, and it also is the truth.

You must pound most hitters in, but in Barry's case it's really important to make him aware of the inside part of the plate. He stands so close to the dish that a ball on the outside corner is a pitch right down the middle to him.

Barry has a good enough eye that if you pitch him away, he won't swing. So you have to straighten him up. You also have to use the other side of the plate. Mix it up.

Russ Springer knows you don't just pitch to one side of the plate against a Hall of Famer such as Mr. Bonds. Very few guys in the major leagues are successful if they only pitch guys a certain way. Hitters are smart. If a pitcher gets into a pattern, hitters will sniff him out. You have to keep the ball moving -- in and out, up and down, fast and slow, in multiple combinations. That is called pitching.

Yet another possibility: The ball slipped. Unlikely. Russ is a veteran of many years and many battles. He knows where 99 percent of his pitches are going. To say five in a row slipped in the same area is not believable. For balls to slip, the catcher at some point has to look more like a hockey goalie.

A more likely reason: Some pitchers just don't like some hitters. Russ Springer is a blue-collar professional who doesn't take too kindly to frills and showmanship. If you look back at Springer's career, he never has struck out a hitter and showed the hitter up. He just goes about his business. End of story.

If a hitter hits a homer off Springer and acts like he hit the shot heard 'round the world, then he'll have a problem. The hitter ought to know better, too, or his teammates ought to tell him.

In baseball, you've either been humbled or you're about to be. So relax, enjoy your homer, and don't show up pitchers. Pitchers, remember, have the last say. And those seams speak loud and clear.

Todd Jones is a Tigers reliever. E-mail him at tjones@sportingnews.com.

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